St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Churchsepia-toned photographic print mounted on black card. It is a picture of a small church with wooden steeple and a stone and white picket fence around it and two large poplar trees on either side. Handwritten across the bottom is: St. James Lutheran/ St. Jacobs, Ont. Handwritten on the back is: J. H. Thoms/ St. James Luth./ Church/ St Jacobs Ont/ Elfrieda Schlitt/ Built 1866/ torn down & rebuilt/ same site 1961-62. In possesion of Doon Heritage Crossroads

Notes

St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church

Begun: 1864

The congregation was organized in 1864, and met in the schoolhouse, which is located behind the present church. The cornerstone for a new church was laid on May 21, 1866 and the brick church which was built adjoining the school, was dedicated on August 22, 1866. Land was purchased for a cemetery in 1868. Rev. Daniel Stahlschmidt was the first pastor. The congregation had become part of the Elmira Parish as of December 1865 and this association remained until 1905 when the congregation was joined with Conestogo. Rev. A.R. Schultz of St. James, Elmira had been pastor to the St. Jacobs congregation from 1879 until this time. A parish hall was built in 1905 and in 1918 the church was enlarged - a tower and main entrance were built.

Land was purchased in 1956 on the north side of the church and on August 13, 1961 the ground breaking service for a new church was held. Construction began immediately and the final service was held in the old church on November 18, 1961. Dedication services for the new church were held on May 27, 1962. The congregation celebrated the church's 125th Anniversary on September 8, 1991.

Records:
Baptism dates: 1866- Location of records: at church
Marriage dates: 1866- Location of records: at church
Burial dates: 1866-* Location of records: at church

*A list of Deaths from September 14, 1868 to April 6, 1991, according to the church records, is included in a pamphlet published for the Church's Memorial Service on July 7, 1991. A copy of the pamphlet is in the Grace Schmidt Local History Room of the Kitchener Public Library.